


Le Sort d'Un Roi

by readytherhinos



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Fix-It, M/M, Trans Character, basically "what if Prompto wrote Luna back in Brotherhood and also no one got hurt"
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-09-27 19:29:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10042067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/readytherhinos/pseuds/readytherhinos
Summary: It started with a letter, and before he knew it, two once distant royal figures became his closest friends. Prompto had no idea how he was lucky enough to have the oracle or his best friend, or how he was unlucky enough to fall hopelessly in love with the crown prince of Lucis.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> After letting this AU just sit in my head forever, I finally managed to get it started. I'm so excited to share this and hope you enjoy reading!
> 
> Just a quick content warning: this fic will deal with Prompto's body image issues and gender dysphoria, so be careful if either of those are difficult topics to deal with! Much of Prompto's identity in this is based upon mine, and my comfort level with certain issues might be different from others'. 
> 
> Other than that, though, I'll try my best to keep an overall happy tone in this fic since these babies deserve all the love and happiness in the world.

     Prompto Argentum.

     That was the name the young bespectacled boy wrote on the paperwork for the high school he’d be attending in the fall. He chose that name for himself not too long ago, and everything felt right whenever anyone addressed him by it. That was a rare occurrence, however. Prompto had difficulty making friends at school, and his parents were hardly around enough to address him as anything.

      Prompto looked at the barcode on his wrist and, in a way, felt lucky for a change. Typically, he felt nothing but shame in regards to his origins as a test subject, but the measures his adoptive parents took to keep this information hidden made his transition considerably easier. He wouldn’t have to change much of his written information, since not much documentation still existed in the first place.

      He wanted nothing more than to make friends at his new school. Friends who saw him for who he was, and not the “weird fat kid” many of his classmates cruelly mentioned when they thought he couldn’t hear.

      The first friend that year was found not in a classmate, but in a small injured puppy he found on the road. Tiny, as he named him, quickly became his closest companion, but vanished just as quickly as he came.

      Days later, a still devastated Prompto found a peculiar envelope addressed to him on his way inside from school—peculiar in that no one ever wrote to him. Additionally, the stationery was much fancier than he’d ever seen. The letter gave off a distinctive fragrance of flowers; it even _smelled_ important. He opened the letter, which read the following:

_Dear Prompto,_

_I hope this letter reaches you in good health. My name is Lunafreya Nox Fleuret. I believe you are the one who found my dog, Pryna. My heart was heavy with the thought of losing her. But we were happily reunited, thanks to you. You have my gratitude. I had sent Pryna to see Prince Noctis. You’re friends with Noctis, aren’t you? I heard he’s usually too busy to play with his schoolmates, so I suppose you don’t get to see him very often. Regardless, I hope you can continue to be a good friend to him._

_Any friend of Prince Noctis is a friend of mine, and certainly anyone who takes good care of Pryna. I would love to hear back from you, Prompto. I hope you can find time away from your schoolwork to write back soon!_

_Sincerely,_

_Luna_

     Prompto read the letter over and over, staring in disbelief. Surely there had to be a mistake here. Tiny- wait, Pryna- belonged to the princess of Tenebrae? A princess who wanted to be his friend?

     He hardly considered himself worthy of befriending his commoner classmates, let alone Prince Noctis or Lady Lunafreya. Prompto had no clue what he could write to the princess about himself that would be remotely interesting.

     Nonetheless, he had to think of something, and he had to find it in him to speak to Noctis. Luna was counting on him, and Prompto could not let her down.

     Prompto and Luna soon got into a habit of regular correspondence with one another, and, to his delight, she seemed quite fond of him almost instantly. With Luna, he found he could be open with just about anything—his transition, his struggles at school, basically anything but the secret kept between him and his parents alone. However, it took him a while to mention his lack of progress in becoming friends with the prince. She knew of his insecurities by now and encouraged him to work past them, but he still could not find the courage within him to approach Prince Noctis.

     He soon found an opportunity to speak to the prince, and found himself standing around the corner, mentally giving himself a pep talk. _You can do this, Prompto. Luna is counting on you._ He emerged and greeted the prince, only to immediately fall flat on his face. He surely did not make a good first impression, but he at least managed to keep his beloved camera from being damaged.

     “Everything all right?” Noctis asked, running to help Prompto up.

     “Y-yes, it looks fine…” Prompto said timidly. “Uh, here you go,” he said, handing his camera forward when Noctis reached out his hand.

      Noctis laughed. “Not that.”

      “Oh, sorry,” Prompto said, berating himself internally for misinterpreting the gesture. _Of course he wasn’t reaching for your camera, stupid._

 It was then, while he struggled to help Prompto up, that Noctis let out two words that Prompto would never forget. He probably should have been more careful and said _literally anything_ but “You’re heavy!”, but the words were already out, and repeated in a loop in Prompto’s mind.

       _That’s it_ , Prompto thought, Noctis gone immediately after the school bell rang. _That’s what I can fix. That’s how I can finally stop feeling so…inadequate._

 Noctis’s words were not the most kindly chosen, and yet they lit a fire under Prompto’s ass, so to speak. Prompto set himself a strict, intense schedule of running every day, and replaced his usual diet with healthy foods. He took photos every now and then to gauge his progress, and to proudly show to Luna. _I’m very proud of you! Just be careful, dear!_ Luna would write every time, showing an almost motherly concern for his health.

       On the day Prompto reached his goal, he stared in the mirror in awe. Before him stood a slimmer, much more fit boy. As an unexpected bonus, he noticed that the weight loss had affected his breasts as well, his chest noticeably flatter. He had yet to get his hands on a binder, having no idea where to look, but for now, he was extraordinarily happy with the difference. He beamed at his reflection and happily took photos he would soon send to Luna.

        Days later, when he went to check the mail as usual, he found a package addressed to him, far too big to fit in his mailbox. His eyes widened when he opened it to see its contents, but read the letter placed at the top before taking them out.

_Dearest Prompto,_

_I must tell you how happy I am to see your smile in that photo. I have never seen your face so full of light and happiness, and am so proud to see that you accomplished your goal._  
In honor of this, I thought I might send you some new clothing in your size. You have come so far, and I wouldn’t want that factor to take away from your excitement. Also, I threw in something extra that you mentioned in earlier letters.  
I almost forgot to mention- I have a cell phone now! While I adore your handwritten letters, I am sure you would prefer to contact me more quickly now that it is an option.  
I want to thank you for your friendship and unwavering kindness. This package hardly covers how much gratitude I have for you, Prompto! 

_Love,_  
Luna  
415-483-2167

      Prompto set the letter down, and tears welled in his eyes as he found the ‘something extra’ in the box. That something was a chest binder, perfectly suited to his new size and his skin tone. The rest of the box contained a variety of shirts and pants, all of which fit the style he felt most comfortable in.

      He wrestled with the binder for a few minutes until figuring out how to put it on (it was much easier than he made it initially), and chose a red tank-top and grey pants from his new clothes. He stood in front of the mirror and took a selfie with the widest, most genuine smile of his photos yet. He picked up the letter to find Luna’s new number, and sent her the photo along with a message.

       **_Prompto:_** _thank you thank you thank you!!!_ ❤❤❤ __  
**_Prompto:_** _you’re the best, Luna!_  
       **Luna:** I’m so happy you like it!  
       **Luna:** But I have to disagree, /you’re/ the best! 

 Lady Lunafreya’s friendship filled Prompto’s heart with more love than he knew what to do with. He felt so changed by her constant encouragement, and had no idea how he could ever repay her.

       He then realized the promise he made to Luna—or more to himself, really—that he would try again to befriend Prince Noctis once he reached his goal. This time, though, he was more eager than he was afraid. He felt like a new person now, and looked like one too. Surely Noctis would not recognize him as the chubby boy from before. School would begin in just a couple of weeks, and on the very first day, Prompto would introduce himself and befriend the crown prince.

       _I can do this,_ he thought. _I_ **have** to do this.

     


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all of your kind responses! I had no idea I'd receive so many comments, kudos, etc on the first chapter and it means a lot to me as a writer. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

     Noctis didn’t want to make friends. Or that’s what he told himself, at least.

     Truth be told, Noctis didn’t know how to make friends. Sure, he already had Luna, Ignis, and Gladio, but they had basically been built into his life for him for as long as he could remember. He had no idea how to talk to anyone who didn’t approach him first, and those of his classmates who did approach him didn’t have the best intentions. They came up to him with questions like “How many servants do you have?”—always about his family, his royal upbringing, and never about him as a person.

     Noctis walked down the hallway of his new school, feeling little optimism for the ‘new beginning’ his father assured him high school would be. He kept his gaze down at his feet, but he could still feel all of the eyes on him. He had long ago learned to ignore the hushed whispers of “Is that the prince?”, but they didn’t bother him any less.

     Noctis stifled a gasp when a pat on the back took him by surprise. He turned around to see a smile he swore he’d seen before.

     “Hey there, Prince Noctis!” the boy said cheerfully.

     “Huh?” Noctis said, still disoriented.

     “I’m Prompto! Nice to meet you!”

      Yep, Noctis had definitely met this boy before. He remembered the sweet, awkward boy who fell in front of him several months ago, who he wished he didn’t have to leave for the school bell. He remembered him from farther back, when his appearance was even more different than it was from their last encounter. He had been in Noctis’s sixth grade class, with long, flowing golden hair and much different clothing. The most notable difference, though, was in the way Prompto carried himself. The handsome boy before him exuded confidence and happiness he’d never seen in him before. He didn’t remember the name Prompto, or any name for him, really, but he remembered his presence. Noctis didn’t often participate in his surroundings, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t observant—just shy.

     “Don’t I know you?” Noctis asked. Prompto laughed uncomfortably in response, so Noctis brushed it off. If Prompto didn’t want to be recognized, he wouldn’t bring it up again.

      For someone who told himself he didn’t need friends, Noctis sure followed Prompto around like a lost puppy for the rest of the day. He didn’t have much to say, or, rather, didn’t know what to say. Noctis mentally kicked himself for being so awkward, but luckily, Prompto didn’t seem to mind.

      The two were the first to arrive at their last class of the day, and claimed two seats together by the window. Prompto took out his camera, excited to capture the way the light fell over the trees outside the classroom window.

      Noctis found himself staring in wonder as Prompto perfectly framed the shot, but snapped out of it when Prompto looked back at him.

      “You take photos?” Noctis asked.

      “I do,” Prompto said, smiling timidly and hesitating for a moment. “Wanna see?”

       Noctis nodded, maybe a bit too eagerly. “Of course!”

        Prompto turned around in the desk in front of him, and Noctis’s eyes widened at the photo on the screen in front of him. Prompto had captured the greenery outside so beautifully for something so ordinary. Noctis flipped through several photos, more and more captivated with each one he looked at. He paused his scrolling when he saw one that particularly caught his eye. It was Prompto standing outside what was presumably his house, face illuminated by sunlight and his even brighter smile. It was just a selfie, but Prompto’s face was so full of life—and freckles, wow, _so_ many freckles.

      “Prompto, these are amazing,” Noctis said, his eyes finally ungluing themselves from the camera.

       Prompto grinned, a faint blush covering his cheeks. “You really think so?”

       “Seriously. Where’d you learn to do this?” Noctis asked.

       “Nowhere, actually. I’m self-taught,” Prompto said, hoping that Noctis wasn’t judging his lack of formal training.

        “Wow…you’re talented,” was far from what Prompto expected out of Noctis’s mouth, and he grinned. Class began before Prompto had the chance to thank him, but the compliments ran through his head for the whole hour, posing quite the challenge to his attention span.

        “See you tomorrow, your highness!” Prompto said cheerfully as he headed for the door after the bell rang. Before he could leave, Noctis grabbed him by the arm. “Hm?” he said, looking unfazed and still smiling.

        “Um,” Noctis began. _Oh my god why am I touching him? You just met this guy hours ago, idiot._ “You can just call me Noctis,” he said, shyly meeting Prompto’s stare.

        “Oh…yeah, sure!” Prompto said. “Bye, Noctis!”

        Even with his new friend no longer present, Noctis’s strange behavior did not subside one bit. Ignis noticed the moment sat down and buckled his seatbelt in the Regalia, but wrote it off as first day jitters. Noctis found his head in the clouds on the way home, which was by no means unusual for him. However, his daydreams took on a new focus. He looked outside the window at the trees and buildings of Insomnia as usual, but with a new perspective. Noctis wondered how lovely the city would look through the lens of Prompto’s camera. He wondered what sort of mental process was behind framing photos in the way he did, and how much more colorful the world must look in his eyes. Noctis had seen plenty of photos, but none that caught his eye quite like Prompto’s.

        The more he had those thoughts, the more he thought that something strange may be going on with him. _Is making new friends usually like this?_ He asked himself. He certainly didn’t think about Ignis or Gladio so fondly or so often. Maybe it was just the stress of starting high school, but something seemed odd—not necessarily bad, just odd. He liked thinking about the possibilities of a new friendship, as creepy as it made him feel to fixate on it so intensely.

        He debated internally for hours, thankful that his training was cancelled for the day. There was no way he could spar like this. Eventually, he gave in and contacted Luna for advice. He did so directly by text for a change, as this was _much_ too trivial (and embarrassing) to have permanently archived in their book.

         Lunafreya let out an undignified yelp when her phone startled her with a barrage of text notifications. Who on Eos was sending her so many messages at once?

         She checked her phone and not one, but two names appeared on the screen: Noctis and Prompto. _Oh dear, this should be interesting,_ she thought, hoping nothing had gone wrong on their first day of school.

         **Noctis:** _Hey Luna I have a really weird question_  
         **Noctis:** _Has any king of Lucis or Niflheim been uh...not straight?_

         _Well then_. That was much faster than Luna expected. Before diving into that one, she checked her texts from Prompto.

          **Prompto:** _luna I did it!!_  
          **Prompto:** _I said hi to noctis and he was sooo sweet!_  
          **Prompto:** _he even complimented my photos!! :D_

          It looked like she’d have to pretend not to know as much as she did. _Such is the role of the oracle_ , she thought. Between what friends confided in her and what the astrals told her, Luna had long ago mastered the art of helping people without breaching confidence.

          She giggled, wondering what on Eos she would do with her two dearest friends. She could only imagine what could have made those two so _stupidly_ fond of one another within one day. It was clear they mutually wanted to be friends—well, Noctis seemed to want more than that already—but she’d have to play dumb for a while and let them find that out for themselves.

 _This should be **very** interesting,_ she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I initially thought I'd make Noctis realize it much later on, but I saw a tweet referring to that scene in Brotherhood as his "gay awakening" and this just kind of...happened.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I wanna say I'm completely baffled by how many positive responses I've gotten to this!! Hearing from readers is a huge motivator, so thank you all so much!

**Noctis:** _Hey Luna I have a really weird question_  
**Noctis:** _Has any king of Lucis or Niflheim been uh...not straight?_

  Regret hit Noctis the moment he hit ‘send’, and grew with every minute he was left waiting for a response. What was he thinking, asking her a question he hadn’t thought through? He wasn’t prepared to explain in the least. And what if Luna was disgusted by that sort of thing? Lucis was fairly progressive in that department, but Noctis knew little about the politics of Niflheim beyond the war that ended in the earliest years of his life.

      Noctis paced anxiously for what felt like forever. He gulped when he heard his text tone and checked his phone.

     **Luna:** _Not that I am aware, but there’s a first time for everything! Why do you ask, darling?_

 _Oh, thank god._ Now all he had to do was brush it off.

     **Noctis:** _Just wondering_  
     **Luna:** _Are you sure? Anything you say is safe with me._  
     **Luna:** _I love you very much, Noctis. I hope you know nothing could change that_. ❤

     Noctis supposed he should have known he wouldn’t get out of it that easily. It was Luna, though, so could letting it out really do any harm?

      **Noctis:** _ok fine_  
     **Noctis:** _I think I like a boy but I’ve never liked anyone before so I don’t know what I’m doing_

     Goodness, that sounded more embarrassing in writing.

     **Luna:** _Aww, how sweet!_  
     **Noctis:** _It’s embarrassing though :/_  
     **Luna:** _It’s perfectly normal!  
     _**Noctis:** _Even for a prince?_

     Even for an oracle, Luna could be _frighteningly_ perceptive sometimes.

     **Luna:** _I know how troubling it is to think of the future, but you need not fret about it so early on._  
     **Luna:** _You won’t need to worry about a partner or an heir for many years, so you have plenty of time    to sort everything out._

     _Leave it to Luna to hit the nail right on the head like always._

     **Noctis:** _But what do I do now?  
     _**Luna:** _That, my dear, is up to you!_

Luna surely meant well, but Noctis did not deal well with anything open-ended.

     **Noctis:** What would you do if you were me, though?  
     **Luna:** Hmmm  
     **Luna:** I think I would focus my efforts on befriending this boy, and see what happens from there!

     Now that he thought about it, it was a bit silly to be that far ahead of himself. Out of four years, it was only day one. Did feelings always come with this much worrying?  

     Nothing in Noctis’s life had ever held more uncertainty. It really was all up to him, and that was absolutely maddening. But perhaps it could be exciting—if only Noctis could stop worrying for more than five seconds at a time.

    

     **Luna:** _Hi Prompto! Are you still feeling up to our plans for tonight?_  
     **Prompto:** _You bet!!_ (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

     Since Prompto had no way of visiting, the next best thing was video chatting. Prompto buzzed with excitement all day at school, knowing he’d finally be able to speak to his friend face to face. After rushing home, he changed out of his uniform and made himself comfortable in a small pile of pillows and blankets. He brushed stray hairs out of his face and clicked ‘call’, smiling brightly as he waited.

     If any more light emitted from Luna’s screen, she might have been sunburnt. Beforehand, she would have never believed that Prompto’s smile looked even more radiant in motion than it did in still photos.

     Prompto could say the same of Luna. Her almost-presence felt so comforting and warm.

     “Prompto!” Luna exclaimed, grinning. It was her first experience with ‘that new-fangled Skype technology’ and it almost felt like magic—she would know, being the oracle.

     “Luna!” Prompto said, mirroring Luna’s excitement.

     “You look so handsome!” Luna said.

     Prompto giggled, never sure how to respond to compliments. “Really? In this?” He asked.

     “Yes, dear!” Luna said, clasping her hands together. “Oh, it’s so nice to see you! How was school today?”

     “It was sooo fun!” Prompto said with a wide grin. “We finally started the first project in my mechanics class and…” He trailed off for several minutes on the topic, rambling so quickly that Luna couldn’t quite keep up, but she’d listen to him talk for as long as he pleased. To her, anything that brought light to her young friend’s eyes was worth listening to.

     “You’re quite the smart cookie, Prompto!” Luna said, beaming. “Now…how is our handsome prince doing?”

     Prompto’s smile remained, but it became softer and more bashful. “He’s a _dork_ ,” he said.

     “Not quite what you expected, is he?” Luna asked.

     “Definitely not,” Prompto said. “He fell asleep in English today. _Again_.”

     Luna chuckled despite herself. “Oh, that poor dear. He’s always so sleepy. He really does try his best, though.”

     “I’d be that tired too if I had all that weight on my shoulders,” Prompto said.

     “I’m so glad to know he has a friend who understands that,” Luna said. “Noctis is a tough nut to crack, but I have no doubt he’ll be kind to you.”

     Prompto found the word ‘friend’ a bit of a stretch, but didn’t want to discourage Luna. “So...do you think I should ask if he wants to hang out?” he asked, eyes uneasy.

     “Yes, of course!” Luna said. “He would love that, I’m sure of it.” 

     Prompto lifted his hand to fidget with his hair, very visibly nervous about this plan. Before he could ask any further questions, Luna tilted her head.

     “Prompto, is that a tattoo on your wrist?” Luna asked innocently, unaware of the can of worms she’d just opened.

      Prompto’s baby blue eyes widened in terror, as if caught in the headlights. He couldn’t believe he forgot to put his wristband back on before calling Luna. How could he be so careless?

      “Is...is something wrong?” Luna asked. She didn’t quite know where the line stood between helping and prying, so she knew she’d have to tread lightly.

      Tears welled in Prompto’s eyes. Never before had he told a single living soul about his origin. There was no going back at this point, though. “It’s…a tattoo, sort of,” Prompto said, sniffling. “Can you keep a secret, Luna? Like, a _really_ big one?”

      “Of course you can,” Luna said, devastated that she couldn’t reach through the screen to dry his tears.

      Prompto took a few deep breaths and began. “Luna…I wasn’t born in Lucis.”

      “Oh?”

      “I was born a…t-test subject. For the Magitek program. Just before it ended,” Prompto said, struggling to breathe and speak evenly as he cried. “I was adopted and brought here as a kid.”

      “Oh, sweetheart,” Luna said, covering her mouth in shock.

      “I…understand…if you don’t want to-“

      “Prompto, don’t you dare,” Luna interrupted, somewhat regretting how harsh it came out. “I wouldn’t trade you for the world. Where you came from doesn’t change that a bit.”

      “You really mean that?” Prompto asked, his red, puffy eyes widening.

      “Of course I do,” Luna said. “In fact, I have a funny story for you.”

      “Huh?”

      “The other day, I brought you up, and I almost called you my little brother by accident,” Luna said with a faint smile, hoping it would bring him comfort.

      It did, but in a powerful wave. Prompto clung to his blankets as he let out more choked sobs, tears staining his face. He was so overwhelmed from crying and from so much _feeling_ that he didn’t notice when Luna summoned her staff.

      Prompto felt a warm energy, and saw blue, glowing spirals of _god knows what_ encircling him. The magical energy dried the tears from his face and eased the pain of his irritated eyes. He stared, doe-eyed, until the vision before him faded away, leaving behind a sensation that felt oddly similar to being held.

      “Luna, what the heck was that?” Asked a bewildered Prompto.

       Luna smiled, silently thanking the Astrals to see the Prompto’s characteristic spunk returning. “A blessing, dear. The gods will protect you, as will I.”

       Prompto smiled with scrunched eyebrows, and probably would have cried again had he not used up all the tears left in him. “Luna, that’s so sweet…”

       “And one more thing,” Luna added, glancing at her staff. “Hold out your hands.”

        Prompto raised a confused eyebrow, but did as he was told. In his hands appeared a vision of the tiniest, most precious chocobo chick he had ever seen. It was made up of the same sparkling energy as before, and vanished just as quickly. He squealed, having barely processed it until after it disappeared.

        “So cute!” Prompto exclaimed, smiling at Luna. “You can just do that? Make little chocobos?

        “Well, I’m not exactly _supposed_ to,” Luna said. “But every now and then, a little trick or two doesn’t hurt.”

        “That was the cutest trick ever!” Prompto said.

        “Speaking of cute,” Luna said. “Would you like to see Pryna and Umbra?”

        Prompto gasped and smiled. “Like you even have to ask!”

**Author's Note:**

> Huge thanks to jordypordy for being a great beta!!


End file.
